How Does Conan Doyle Build Suspense In ‘the Speckled Band’?

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Manna Khan 11E                                                                                                                           03/05/07                                    

HOW DOES CONAN DOYLE BUILD SUSPENSE IN ‘THE SPECKLED BAND’?

‘The adventure of the speckled band is suspense/horror story written by sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Conan Doyle creates suspense in his story by the use of pathetic fallacy and deliberately making you feel unsure or anxious about what will happen next. He does this by creating mysterious settings, use of strange characters and providing hints. This makes us want to read on but does not give away the story until the end.

Dr Watson, a friend of Sherlock Holmes is the narrator of the story. Dr Watson refers in the opening paragraph to Sherlock Holmes last 70 cases that he had gone through but this is the most memorable story of them all, so this first gets us interested in the story. By Dr Watson referring about the last 70 cases we wonder, why is this story so good? Therefore it makes us want to read on. Dr Watson mentions ‘un untimely death of a lady,’ which suggests that a woman had died when she was not suppose to, which creates tension and makes us want to read on. He then also tells us ‘there are widespread rumours as to the death of Dr Grimsby Roylott’ which suggest to the reader there is something suspicious about Dr Grimsby Roylott’s death.

When the reader first meet Helen Stoner ‘she was dressed in black and heavily veiled’ this creates a sense of mystery. The author’s use of the word ‘black’ builds up a sense of death and evil. The fact that she’s heavily veiled suggests that she is frightened and hiding herself from someone or something. Helen Stoner says in the passage ‘it is not cold which makes me shiver it is fear, it is terror’ so this suggests she is petrified and something terrible is happening to her. Additionally, the author’s use of the word ‘her features and figure were those of a woman of thirty, but her hair was short with premature grey’ indicates that she seems like an old woman, caused by the tensions and the events which have happened to her.  

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When the reader first meets Dr Grimsby Roylott his behaviour toward Sherlock Holmes was unexpected after the conversation between Sherlock Holmes and Helen Stoner. ‘What has she been saying to you’ this creates suspense and makes the reader want to know why is he after Helen Stoner. ‘…I know you, you scoundrel…don’t you dare meddle with my affair…’ this gives the impression that Dr Grimsby Roylott is a dangerous man and he will do anything if someone gets in his way which gives a hint that Dr Grimsby Roylott is a murderer. Another point I would like to make ...

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